hi, everyone, welcome to the "journal" on dw-tv. >> thank you for joining us. >> the helines -- iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad repeats his assertion that washington planned the 9/11 terrorist attacks. >> petrobras raises $70 billion to fund offshore oil reserves. m and the first athletes had to the commonwealth games and concerns that india is not up to staging the event. i u.s. president barack obama

has said that there are a host of options available to the united states and its allies if sanctions against iran failed to lead to cooperation on its nuclear program. thursday in his speech to the un general assembly, obama called on iran to resume dialogue with world powers regarding its nuclear programs. for his part, iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad repeated his claims that washington orchestrated the september 11 attacks. >> iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad address the media friday on the sidelines of the u.n. general assembly. he repeated his claims that the united states government was responsible for the september 11 terror attacks in 2001. on thursday, he caused an uproar when he put these allegations to the un. >> some segments within the u.s. government orchestrated the

attack to reverse the declining american economy and its grip on the middle east. it was to save the zionist regime. >> the speech prompted the u.s. and european delegations to walk out in protest. germany condemned the remarks. >> the speech by the iranian president was not only far- fetched but also hurtful. >> such preposterous allegations are unacceptable. at that and more toned down debate resumed friday. the argentinian president touched on climate change, the middle east peace process, and the worldwide financial crisis. >> how can we conceive of a credible role for our world government organization without africa? it makes up about a quarter of its membership and occupies 70% of the security council's agenda, but does not have a seat

on that council. >> the u.n. general assembly continues next week, before wrapping up on september 30. france's defense minister says that europe faces the prospect of becoming a chinese or american protectorate unless e.u. nations increased dispensed -- increased defense spending. that came on the sidelines of a meeting of eu defense ministers. he cherished the block of the advance of common security policies. he also said while most countries in the world or expanding military spending, european states were deeply cutting back already weak defense budgets and reducing their militaries. do other european union countries share french concerns? we asked our brussels correspondent whether any increase in european defense spending is likely.

>> no, i think you can expect cuts in military spending. that is the problem, everybody knows that the cuts have to hit somewhere, but the loudest voice in favor of increased spending will come from shington. washington says we have funded the nato military alliance in europe for years, we pay the basf part by far. it is time to key players put their money where their mouths are. germany, britain, even france as well. what they're saying is, look, we don't have that kind of money. even our defense policy has to be cut to what we can afford. news of a major share sale? >> fortunes to be made an oil. brazil's state-controlled oil producer petrobras has raised $70 billion this friday in the world's largest set -- share sale. it met with vigorous demand as

investors bet on its plans to double its oil output within a decade by tapping offshore fields. the launch is also reshuffling the global trend scape, making sao paulo the second-largest behind hong kong. >> the brazilian state run an oil company petrobras has raised nearly $70 billion on the sao paulo stock market as the president open trading. he also launched the world's largest share offering. >> the fact this is happening in a stock exchange with a green and yellow flag says this is not in frankfurt, london, or york. it was the sao paulo stock exchange that launched the biggest offering and global capitalism. >> the money will help them tap into the huge reserves of brazil's southern coast, which

are believed to hold more than 50 billion barrels of crude. they currently have the exclusive rights to develop $5 billion of that, burning brazil into the top ranks of the world's oil producing countries -- bringing brazil into the top ranks of the world's oil- producing countries. >> i asked our correspondent how the ipo was received on the new york stock exchange. >> it was such a huge offering, you could have expected some pressure on the stock, but it is holding on fairly well to the levels that we see in the evening session. in general, the response has been tremendous. there was huge demand that wall street obviously it is quite happy with the stock offering and also with the plans that petrobras is following. >> a closer look at the numbers, european shares got a boost on the final trading day of the

week. the dax climbed 1.8%, finishing over 6000. the euro stoxx 50 locking and gains of 2%. in new york, shares are closing at the top of the hour, enjoying a big rally, closing nearly 1.9% higher. and on the currency markets, the euro trading at $1.3491. german business confidence has risen unexpectedly this month, calling recent fears that the economic coverage is losing steam. closely watched ifo business sentiment index, based on a survey of thousands of managers across the country, showed a clear kleiman confidence over the reading in august. the index now stands at 1.608. >> ifo says the september figures indicate a very robust

economic recovery is still under way and reflects continued growth in exports, not the traditional engine of german economy. the business climate index began the year below 100 but has risen steadily over the past several months. germy's finance ministry predicts the up move will continue through the end of the year. >> we have a global economic downswing. germany as affected as much by that as the downturn. we are profiting from improvements in the economies of brazil, russia, india, and china, and the developing countries and the domestic economy. >> the ifo institute says as the german economy is increasingly supported by domestic demand, the upswing is less dependent on exports. but indicators for the next six months have dampened optimism somewhat. experts say while it is expected to continue, the pace of growth will likely slow. spain is introducing strict new budgetary measures in an

attempt to reduce its massive and growing deficit. starting next year, that government plans to cut public expenditures by about 8% per year. the finance ministry says the government worker salaries will be reduced and pensions frozen at current levels. spain is currently struggling with one of the highest budget deficits in europe. they were particularly hard hit by the subprime mortgage crisis at the time when the construction industry had become one of the most import sectors in spain's economy. german it still company has joined the -- steel co. has joined the long list of firms that has stopped doing business with iran, and to support international sanctions. the sanctions have been imposed as part of a coordinated effort to punish iran's government for refusing to stop its uranium development program. >> they say business with iran totaled about 200 million euros during the past -- last fiscal

year, only 1.5% of the total revenue for that time. they are one of just several german corporations that have stopped or scaled back at least their business dealings with iran. one of the world's largest reinsurers is also on that list. the financial-services giant is also on that list. ford's largest industrial gas company says it will pull out -- the world's largest industrial gas company says it will pull out as well. daimler and si9mens have also signaled their intention to keep business with iran to a minimum. these and other companies that have decided to go along with the international sanctions against iran believe the move will be in their best interests. but there are still a number of companies that have ignored the boycott, and it will be only too eager to take over for any german firms that leave. >> that is the business update.

in the bid to cool tensions, japan has released the japanese fishing boat captain. japanese officials said they decided to back down so as to not further damage bilateral ties with china. the captain was arrested two weeks ago after japanese officials said he deliberately rammed his boat into their naval patrols in the east china sea. >> a japanese government spokesman announced the chinese captain was being released. he took a diplomatic, almost conciliatory tone. >> the fact is this issue threatened to stranded japanese- chinese ties and were showing signs of worsening. japan-china relations are very important both countries should make an effort to develop strategic and mutually beneficial relations in the future. >> the rest of the fishing

trawler captain sparked the worst. down in relations between the countries in years. japan accuse the chinese captain of deliberately ramming to patrol vessels near disputed islands in the east china sea. that prompted china to break off all ministerial level contact with tokyo. beijing continued to pile on the diplomatic pressure to be released. the captain was detained close to a group of islands claimed by both china and japan. the area around the islands is thought to be rich in oil and natural gas resources. international protest over the u.s. state of virginia is execution of a woman for the first time in nearly a century. critics say she was not fit for trial because of her diminished mental ability. terezia lewis had admitted hiring two hitman to kill her husband and stepson in 2002 it so she could collect life insurarae money. the death sentence was controversy because psychologist

measured her iq at a level close to mental retardation. the virginia governor and u.s. supreme court rejected appeals for a stay of execution. the first athletes have arrived for the commonwealth games in india, choosing to stay at a hotel instead of the athletes' village, which has been criticized as filthy and uninhabitable. the poor state of accommodations along with a little bridge collapse and suspected militant attacks have thrown the games into crisis. >> with just nine days to go until the games begin, there is a flurry of activity around competition venues. the athletes accommodations are being cleaned again following a wave the international criticism. the rooms for the australian athletes are not acceptable for their olympic committee president, but he still has his concerns. >> i think the problem is that

the commonwealth games federation it is under- resources. they do not have the ability to monitor the progress of the city's. if that had been the case here, certainly something would have been done sooner. obviously, the venues are not ready. >> and number of countries have delayed their teams arrivals because of security concerns, but organizers say any fears athletes may have are misplaced. >> the security, as far as we're concerned, we are absolutely ready. >> an initial group of 20 in less competitors are arrived on friday, the first to reach the east indian capital. the departure of two russian cosmonauts and one u.s. astronaut from the u.s. international space station has been delayed until saturday because of problems within on docking mechanism.

russian space agency said the computer on board the soleus capsule had registered a problem with the air seal. manual checks of the soyuz catoe confirmed the air locks were intact but the mission was postponed for safety reasons. it was the first time that a russian capsule has not departed from the station as planned. the start of the current german soccer season has led to a few surprises. fi wins back-to-back take the top spot in the bundesliga payroll. saturday, they face the defending champions. all eyes will be watching to see if they could make it 6-6. >> this is one of the young players who has shot to the top of the table. the midfielder is on loan. >> they make you feel part of the straightaway. from day one, i felt like i had been there 10 years. i feel at home. it is a mixture of authority and

friendliness. >> he personifies the merkel start to the season. he is just 20, but every bit of confident as the older players. he says he is happy to be on loan to the team. >> i did not want to be left on the bench, fighting for the off chance of playing in maybe 10 or 12 bundesliga games. i want to play every weekend. >> the magic this season is also due to the coach, who is known as a shrewd tactician. he is relying on a mix of solid defense and lightning strikes by the youngsters on the team. the rapid responses have been guaranteeing goals so far this season. >> smaller players like us are needed buzzing around up front, using our speed to forge new openings. >> he is hoping that the bundesliga fortunes will be cause for celebration again on

saturday and beyond. stay tuned for in depth, coming up next.

welcome back. germany is preparing to mark 20 years of reunification on october 3. in the run-up, the country is taking stock of the achievements of the past two decades and the challenges that still remain. one of the key steps in the process of reuniting east and west germany was the margin of the nation's military complexes. from standing armies to weaponry. the process took a major step forward when 20 years ago the east german people's army was officially disbanded. all of its generals and top officers quietly entered retirement. in their place, the military leadership of the former class enemy began shipping an all- german military, and that meant

closing down dozens of east german bases. but some of the military hardware from the communist east was taken over by the new german army. the last of it has just been phased out. >> it is a special day at these barracks. the troops are brought to attention to say farewell. the military sendoff is not for an officer or visiting politician, but for a vehicle. even the base commanders are taking part. but this is not just any old truck. it is the last bit of east german military hardware still in the inventory of the military. this person went into the military with it. these heavy trucks were built

and what was then czechoslovakia at the beginning of the 1980's. they were built to conduct electronic surveillance and jam enemy radio communications. it was a big green cold war machine. this person is sad to see them go. >> if you spend 14 years doing work with a system, you feel a little nostalgic. >> this is the main gate of the barracks in the eastern german state. when it was still being used by the communist east german army, the vehicle was based here near the balkan coast. this garrison was one of the east german army's biggest. 6000 soldiers were stationed here back then. now, two decades later, most of it has fallen into decay. nature is reclaiming the place. hundreds are four rooms here are empty. many of the buildings have been

looted and windows smashed. only a few of the base's 50 buildings are still in use. the rest are slowly decaying. a road once built to carry tanks now looks dilapidated. the military does not need the barracks, and no one else is interested in the facility, at least not right now. these people spent many years here serving the communist east german army. for them and many others, german unification was a major challenge. >> i was preoccupied with this whole change in attitude. some were quicker about it. for me, it took a long time. even four, five years after the wall fell. in the meantime, i got used to it and i know that you can get quite well. i know that you get quite -- along quite well with people we called the enemy.

>> this person remembers the time well. >> of course we were curious. october 3 was a holiday and support staff was coming from the west german army on october 4. they were coming into our territory. of course we were apprehensive. we were curious about how the support staff officers would be and how they would treat us. >> and what would we do in a new uniform? that was the old enemy uniform. >> we would be wearing it. but we did not. well, let's say we did not put up any resistance, at least not where i was surfing. we just said we are not having it. >> other east german soldiers thought it would difficult. many quit the military. the others went into the french foreign legion. the west german general who oversaw the transition remembers.

>> you have to remember it was difficult. they were supposedly convinced communists, all party members serving the east german state. all that just crumbled. some had no faith in the west. they quit on october 2. i met an officer, a navy lieutenant whose father had been a secret police officer and said to him, i will never speak to you again. how can you put on the uniform of our former enemies? there was a cute -- there was a real human drama going on. >> the integration of east german soldiers into the military did not always run smoothly. now retired, this person was an east german officer who helped disband his own army. >> for the most part, the east german troops who were career

and noncommissioned officers felt they had been betrayed by the soviet union. they were fixated on mikhail gorbachev, feeling he had betrayed them and laslet east germany down. about most of the east german motor pool was confined to the dusts well. 20 years ago, brand new trucks and thousands of other east german military vehicles were selling for a few hundred marks. imilitary models of this vehicle or selling for about 800 marks and they had hardly been driven, but nobody wanted them. east germans were only too happy to get their hands on some western wheels. other military vehicles were sold to the highest bidder, but that was not very lucrative, with most going for less than

their value. sometimes oldg or damage to machines went to private donors foretoken prices. symbols of their communist past or simply painted out. -- were simply pointed out. heavier hardware that only had a military purpose such as tanks or self propelled artillery were held and inventoried at factories or barracks. the valuable components were taken out and used elsewhere. the weapon systems were dismantled. furnishings and components were removed. hundreds of workers at east german factories used welding torch is to disassemble hundreds of tanks. -- welding torches to disassemble hundreds of tanks. the steel parts were melted down

for use in automobile industry. now the east german technology used for electronic welfare has also been mothballed. finally, the very last bit of hardware tomorrow is being retired. a banner with the name is turned in for the last time. after nearly 20 years of service, the troops drive it on to the parade ground. the vehicle is being taken out of service, but there are still thousands of former east german soldiers serving in the military. they found a new home and former enemies have become friends. in the coming days, the vehicle will be turned over to the air force museum in berlin. it will make the 400-kilometer trip on a flatbedq trailer, with the dignity, style, and ease suited to her rage. >> -- suited to her age.

>> that wraps up our in-depth report. thank you u r joining us. stay tuned to dw-tv. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

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